The loss of power caused by Hurricane Wilma in West Palm Beach, Fort Myers, Naples, Miami and Fort Lauderdale — traditionally strong markets for televised horse races — hurt ratings for the NTRA Breeders’ Cup Classic. Ratings for NBC’s coverage of the event were down 10.5 percent compared with last year’s race and nearly a quarter from 2003, according to SportsBusiness Journal’s analysis of Nielsen Media Research data.
| Rank | Market (Size) | 2005 Rating/share | 2004 Rating/share | % Change |
| 1 | St. Louis (21) | 3.3/8 | 3.7/9 | -10.8% |
| 2 | Seattle-Tacoma (12) | 3.2/9 | 2.2/6 | 45.5% |
| 3 | Cincinnati (33) | 2.9/7 | 2.0/5 | 45.0% |
| 4t | Baltimore (23) | 2.8/7 | 1.7/4 | 64.7% |
| 4t | Louisville (50) | 2.8/6 | 4.1/9 | -31.7% |
| 6 | Las Vegas (51) | 2.7/6 | 3.5/7 | -22.9% |
| 7 | Hartford & New Haven (27) | 2.6/6 | 2.6/6 | 0.0% |
| 8t | Portland (24) | 2.5/7 | 2.1/6 | 19.0% |
| 8t | Sacramento-Stockton-Modesto (19) | 2.5/6 | 2.9/8 | -13.8% |
| 8t | Philadelphia (4) | 2.5/6 | 1.9/4 | 31.6% |
| 11 | Orlando-Daytona Beach-Melbourne (20) | 2.3/5 | 1.9/4 | 21.1% |
| 12 | Washington, D.C. (8) | 2.1/6 | 1.6/4 | 31.3% |
| 13t | Boston (5) | 2.0/5 | 3.2/8 | -37.5% |
| 13t | Albuquerque-Santa Fe (47) | 2.0/5 | 1.4/4 | 42.9% |
| 13t | Phoenix (15) | 2.0/5 | 1.4/3 | 42.9% |
| 13t | Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville (35) | 2.0/4 | 1.3/3 | 53.8% |
| 17t | Providence-New Bedford (49) | 1.9/4 | 2.2/4 | -13.6% |
| 17t | Tampa-St. Pete, Sarasota (13) | 1.9/4 | 1.5/3 | 26.7% |
| 17t | Knoxville (59) | 1.9/4 | 1.4/3 | 35.7% |
| 20t | Buffalo (46) | 1.8/4 | 2.4/6 | -25.0% |
| 20t | Cleveland (16) | 1.8/4 | 1.7/4 | 5.9% |
| 22t | Minneapolis-St. Paul (14) | 1.7/5 | 1.9/5 | -10.5% |
| 22t | New York (1) | 1.7/5 | 1.7/4 | 0.0% |
| 22t | Detroit (10) | 1.7/4 | 1.6/3 | 6.2% |
| 22t | Oklahoma City (45) | 1.7/3 | 1.6/3 | 6.2% |
| 22t | Tulsa (60) | 1.7/3 | 1.6/3 | 6.2% |
| 27t | Indianapolis (25) | 1.6/4 | 2.5/6 | -36.0% |
| 27t | Norfolk (41) | 1.6/3 | 1.7/3 | -5.9% |
| 29t | Salt Lake City (36) | 1.5/4 | 1.9/6 | -21.1% |
| 29t | Austin (54) | 1.5/4 | 1.2/3 | 25.0% |
| 31t | Los Angeles (2) | 1.4/4 | 1.5/5 | -6.7% |
| 31t | San Francisco-Oakland-San Jose (6) | 1.4/4 | 1.3/4 | 7.7% |
| 31t | Chicago (3) | 1.4/4 | 1.1/3 | 27.3% |
| 31t | Greensboro (48) | 1.4/3 | 2.4/5 | -41.7% |
| 31t | Milwaukee (32) | 1.4/3 | 1.8/4 | -22.2% |
| 36t | San Diego (26) | 1.3/4 | 1.5/4 | -13.3% |
| 36t | Richmond-Petersburg (61) | 1.3/3 | 2.0/5 | -35.0% |
| 36t | San Antonio (37) | 1.3/3 | 1.8/4 | -27.8% |
| 36t | Pittsburgh (22) | 1.3/3 | 1.6/3 | -18.8% |
| 36t | Atlanta (9) | 1.3/3 | 1.3/3 | 0.0% |
| 36t | Dayton (56) | 1.3/3 | 1.0/2 | 30.0% |
| 42t | Houston (11) | 1.2/3 | 0.8/2 | 50.0% |
| 42t | Columbus (34) | 1.2/2 | 1.3/2 | -7.7% |
| 44t | Memphis (44) | 1.1/2 | 2.2/4 | -50.0% |
| 44t | Jacksonville (52) | 1.1/2 | 1.3/3 | -15.4% |
| 44t | Birmingham (Anniston and Tuscaloosa) (40) | 1.1/2 | 1.0/2 | 10.0% |
| 47t | Denver (18) | 1.0/2 | 1.7/5 | -41.2% |
| 47t | Nashville (30) | 1.0/2 | 1.3/3 | -23.1% |
| 49t | Kansas City (31) | 0.9/2 | 1.0/2 | -10.0% |
| 49t | Charlotte (28) | 0.9/2 | 0.8/2 | 12.5% |
|
| Metered-Market Average | 1.7/4 | 1.9/4 | -10.5% |
N/A*- Due to damage from earlier hurricanes, a number of markets are not reportable. Source: Nielsen Media Research
Research by Katherine Johnson-Reid, SportsBusiness Daily
